Examples of conventional apparatuses capable of evaluating and monitoring the degree of obesity of a human body include a body fat meter, with which the user can measure the percent of his or her body fat to recognize the degree of his or her obesity and with which the user is capable of monitoring the degree of his or her obesity for health administration by periodically measuring the percent of his or her body fat.
The abdominal circumference, or the so-called waist size, which is the circumferential size of a trunk part, is the physical size of a part of a human body which is likely to have relation to the degree of obesity and which can be used as an indicator of the condition of health.
That is, by measuring the waist size of a human body, it is possible to obtain a measure in connection with the degree of obesity of the human body; if the user finds an increase in his or her waist size, the user can control his or her health condition by taking care of dietary habits and the like to prevent obesity.
Heretofore, however, it has been required that the waist size measurement be performed with use of a tape measure or the like and, hence, the measurement has been time-consuming. Specifically, it has been required that such a tape measure be wrapped around the waist part of a human body to achieve measurement and, hence, the measurement has been time-consuming. Particularly when the waist size measurement is to be performed for a group medical examination in a school or a workplace for example, much time is required because a large number of examinees should be subjected to the measurement.
The lumbar circumference, or the so-called hip size, which is the circumferential size of a hip part, is the physical size of another part of a human body which is likely to have relation to the degree of obesity. The hip size measurement, also, needs to be performed with use of a tape measure or the like and hence is time-consuming.
It is, therefore, desirable that the waist size or hip size be automatically found by computation, not by direct measurement with a tape measure or the like. It is also desirable that health-related information about a body be obtained on the basis of such a waist size or hip size.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a health administration apparatus which is capable of automatically finding the waist size or the hip size of a human body that can be used in evaluating the degree of obesity of the human body and which is capable of dispensing with direct measurement of the human body with a tape measure or the like.